During a pause in games, for instance, the second-year point guard still will go to the Timberwolves bench and recommend a play to acting head coach Terry Porter. He barks out orders reminding teammates where they need to be on court.

But while it’s clear he hasn’t lost his instincts to lead, Rubio still lacks a few of his game’s essentials: conditioning, his jump shot and, most important, comfort with his surgically repaired left knee.

Rubio acknowleged Tuesday, Jan. 22, his knee still hurts occasionally and that his legs are not yet strong enough to regain the proper mechanics in his shooting.

Heading into the Wolves’ game Wednesday night against Brooklyn at Target Center, Rubio is shooting just 23 percent (12 of 52), including 0 for 10 on three-pointers.

“I feel good, but I still have pain in the knee,” Rubio said. “They say it’s normal and that it will take a year or year and a half to get where you don’t think about it. I don’t want to think about next season. I’m living in the present. I want to get healthy this season. I don’t want to think about anything else.”

Though Rubio is determined to make a full recovery from surgery last March, the process reminds him to be patient. Besides his shooting difficulties, Rubio has been hesitant about driving to the basket — a trait that helped him become one of the NBA’s flashiest and most efficient point guards as a rookie last season.

Rubio’s ability to penetrate often resulted in easy baskets for teammates. There have times this season, however, when Rubio has had clear lanes to the basket to score himself but was unable to finish. He has looked tentative on drives, and his jumper has been flat.

In five of the 13 games in which Rubio has appeared this season, he did not make a shot from the floor.

“It’s on my mind,” Rubio said of his drives to the basket. “Sometimes I want to penetrate, but I don’t think I have the power to do it. I have it, but sometimes the confidence has to come back first. That’s why it’s so hard trying to come back during the season. There are no breaks. You have to find some space to work on things, then do it in games, too.”

The Wolves’ decision to start Rubio on Jan. 17 against the Los Angeles Clippers was made with the intent of accelerating his rehab. The move has had mixed results. Wolves players are getting more high-quality shots because of Rubio’s playmaking skills — he’s averaging 6.0 assists in his three starts — but his overall play has been sporadic.

In Rubio’s three starts, he’s shooting 25 percent (4 of 16) and averaging 6.0 points. Despite his struggles, Rubio was upbeat and even joked about a layup he air-balled during the Wolves’ win over Houston on Saturday.

“Sometimes I want to jump and I’m only two inches off the floor,” Rubio said, smiling. “Last year I could almost dunk that. I never jumped too high anyway, to be honest. I can jump a little bit, but right now I can’t even dunk. I’m not going to say I was doing 360s and all that stuff before I was hurt …”

Rubio spent about an hour after Tuesday’s practice trying to get more arc on his jump shot. As his playing time increases — he’s up to 28 minutes at the moment — he likely will take more shots.

Porter wants Rubio to shoot when he’s open to keep defenses honest; he knows that if Rubio continues to struggle, teams will focus more on the other four players.

“Sometimes Ricky gets a little ‘armsy’ with his shot instead of using his legs, stepping in, squatting down and getting some elevation on it,” Porter said. “It’s something he will continue to work through. People thought he couldn’t shoot when he came into the league. He hit some big shots for us last year.”

Shved still ailing

Porter said he doesn’t know if guard Alexey Shved, out the past two games with a sprained left ankle, will be able to play against Brooklyn.

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